Banijay's Jensen on navigating uncertainty and opportunity in TV drama
Johannes Jensen, head of scripted business at Banijay Entertainment, provides insights into the current state of scripted content production, highlighting the complex ecosystem of international television drama.
The television drama industry is experiencing a critical period of transformation, with production companies and content creators facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities in a landscape characterised by significant market shifts.
Here, Johannes Jensen, head of scripted business at European production and distribution giant Banijay Entertainment, gives his take on the state of the business following several “quite troublesome” years.
What are the current trends in the scripted TV industry?
We’re seeing a stabilisation after some quite troublesome years. There’s been a big shift but it’s levelling out now and the industry is around 75% of its peak TV era, according to Ampere Analysis. So we all have to figure out where we are in this new world. Streaming services are probably now the biggest commissioners of scripted content, whereas previously commercial broadcasters held that position. In terms of genres, crime remains a dominant genre, it accounts for something like 40% of scripted commissions, but it’s evolved into multiple sub-genres from blue sky crime and thrillers to comedy crime.
What are the biggest challenges for high-end TV production?
I think the UK has historically had the luxury of not relying on coproductions in the same way that many other territories have. But now, finding solutions in that area is becoming more important. Traditional broadcasters are reducing their investments, while global streamers are increasing their spending on high-end premium content, which helps offset the shift — but it’s still a challenging landscape.
For those of us who have been working with coproductions for many years, we’ve also focused heavily on tax incentives, choosing the right production locations, finding the best partners, and telling stories that resonate across multiple territories. That remains a priority. To achieve the best creative outcomes, we need strong storytelling — projects that are successful locally but also have international appeal. Attaching top talent to these projects can also be a key factor in securing funding, which we’ve seen time and again.
How is Banijay approaching these industry challenges?
A lot of the production labels that we have feel quite independent. They’re run by entrepreneurial CEOs who know their markets very well and benefit from being part of a big group. For example, we have the number one distribution company with Banijay Rights, and we’ve invested in a creative fund. This allows us to move faster, tap into the right creative talent, and even finance scripts ourselves when needed. Sometimes, it’s all about time to market, and having these resources gives us a real advantage.
Being part of this group offers huge benefits. When I first got involved — having primarily focused on the Nordic market — I didn’t even realise we were the largest scripted production group, producing around 1,000 hours of content a year. That’s a major strength. When talking to broadcasters and streamers, it’s clear they value reliable partners, and that’s exactly what we offer.
Another area of potential growth is scripted formats. We can learn a lot from the unscripted business, which has developed some innovative models that scripted producers haven’t always explored. In challenging times, these approaches can help streamline development and reduce costs — something we should definitely be looking into.
Spanish-German procedural series Weiss & Morales
How is your coproduction strategy changing?
Where I come from in the Nordics, coproduction is a part of our DNA — it’s something we do a lot of, and we’re always looking to share the expertise we’ve gained in this area. We have a strong presence in Spain, Germany, Italy and France, and at Series Mania we screened Weiss & Morales, which is a very interesting show with the coproduction between Spain and Germany. I hope that the UK will increasingly engage in coproductions as well. I know there are already some exciting collaborations between Germany and the UK on several projects.
That said, it’s crucial not to see coproduction purely as a financial tool. The creative aspect must come first, otherwise, we risk repeating past mistakes, where some European coproductions felt forced and didn’t work well. Successful coproductions require strong storytelling that naturally benefits from multiple territories and additional commissioners. These commissioners are becoming more actively involved in content development, which I see as a positive shift. They understand their audiences and what they need, and if we can build strong creative collaborations, it can ultimately lead to better projects.”
What have you learnt since becoming head of the scripted business?
Apart from feeling hopeful about the future, it’s reassuring to see that streamers are now profitable. Even though there are signs that some may scale back or shift their focus, their financial stability is a positive sign for us. It means they will continue to invest, even if that investment shifts to different genres or budget levels.
At the same time, traditional broadcasters still have many years ahead, and they, too, are exploring new models. When you see France’s TF1 suddenly coproducing with Netflix [for daily drama Tout Pour La Lumiere], those are the kind of models which will benefit us all. These partnerships will likely generate more opportunities and benefits for both broadcasters and producers.
Overall, things seem to be stabilising, which is a good place to be. Creativity isn’t just about finding the right stories and talent — it’s also about discovering new ways to leverage our expertise and adapt to an evolving market.
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